For many years retail merchandise has been shipped in a condition that allows for immediate sale when unpackaged by a retailer. The retail merchandise is, in many cases, placed on retail hangers that are installed on a retail structure. The retail hangers are often affixed to the retail structure via a variety of structural configurations at an end of the hanger. An example of one such configuration is depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,967 to Valiulis and assigned to the instant assignee. Once the hangers are installed on the retail structure, retail merchandise may be hung from the hanger on a hook portion of the hanger. In many instances, the retail structure is preconfigured with the hangers to receive merchandise that is frequently depleted and subsequently replenished thereafter. Retail structures incorporating hangers, i.e. hanger type displays, therefore offer retailers the ability to very quickly restock depleted merchandise and present the same in a neat and aesthetically pleasing fashion.
In light of the above benefits of retail structures that incorporate hangers, there is a continuing desire to use them more routinely in a retail environment. Accordingly, there is a growing need to incorporate hangers in temporary retail structures, e.g. seasonal displays. Due to the temporal nature of certain retail display structures, some structures are often produced from corrugated cardboard or other light weight materials. As a result, the hangers are preferably light weight in order for the hangers to be incorporated in a structurally sound manner with the temporary retail structure. Also, due to the low cost of temporary retail structures, it is desirable to have a hanger that is also offered at a lower cost relative to other hanger designs in order to keep the overall cost of the hanger type display low. This lower cost can be achieved through rapid manufacture using cost efficient materials.
In view of the above, it is desirable to have a retail hanger that can be rapidly installed into temporary and permanent retail structures. It is further desirable that such a hanger be quickly and efficiently manufactured at a low cost. The present invention is directed toward meeting the needs described above, and is also directed toward improvements over the state of the art.